The present invention relates to the stabilization of fatty organic compounds, and particularly fatty alcohols and derivatives thereof.
The present invention also relates to the synthesis, particularly on an industrial scale, of fatty alcohol derivatives wherein the reactants and their derivatives may be subject to undesired side reaction such as oxidation. Unwanted oxidation, whether with atmospheric oxygen or with other oxidizing reactants, is a particularly well-known side reaction which those who work in this field would like to avoid because it leads to undesired side effects such as unpleasant odors and loss of the desired color in the product.
It has long been known that fatty organic compounds, particularly those derived from natural sources, can be subject to undesired oxidation, particularly when the compound in question is in the liquid state; and particularly in the presence of acids such as sulfuric or sulfuric acids. This phenomenon is well known as to fatty alcohols, such as stearyl alcohol. For this reason, such products are frequently stored and shipped in the solid state, generally as particles or flakes. However, providing such materials in the solid state frequently involves additional steps of subdividing the product into a manageable form such as flakes, pellets, or otherwise, so as to facilitate operations such as handling, pouring, measuring, and packaging. The steps necessitated in putting such products into particle form necessarily introduce additional equipment and handling requirements which one would desire to eliminate if possible. Indeed, the additional steps necessary to appropriately subdivide the solid materials can cause undesired losses of material and changes in purity, and also require periodic cleaning and maintenance of the equipment used.
Thus, it would be desirable to be able to provide products such as fatty alcohols in liquid form, if only a means were available whereby oxidation of such products could be inhibited or eliminated. The savings in energy and equipment usage as well as in packaging materials required for handling of the particulate solids, would be significant. However, to date there remains an unfilled need for a means for stabilizing fatty compounds such as fatty alcohols against undesired oxidation and the resultant side effects such as color degradation, in a manner which is economical and readily practiced and yet which does not interfere with subsequent reactions or other uses of the fatty material in question.